


To Stitch a Soul

by EmeraldHeiress



Series: How Dangerous (A Mask Can Be) [4]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010), Red Hood: Lost Days
Genre: Angst, Damian Wayne Needs a Hug, Don't copy to another site, Gen, Good Parent Talia al Ghul, Good Sibling Jason Todd, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Magic, Protective Damian Wayne, Protective Jason Todd, Revelations, Surprises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:21:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26611333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmeraldHeiress/pseuds/EmeraldHeiress
Summary: “Jason. Jason Todd is alive?!” The preteen’s voice rang through the Batcave, threaded with shock.“That was pretty much our reaction.”Damian heard Drake drawl in amusement.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Ra's al Ghul & Jason Todd, Talia al Ghul & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Jason Todd
Series: How Dangerous (A Mask Can Be) [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1932781
Comments: 16
Kudos: 505





	To Stitch a Soul

**Author's Note:**

> Breaking up the big fic collection into smaller individual ficlets.

“Jason. Jason Todd is _alive?!_ ” The preteen’s voice rang through the Batcave, threaded with shock. **  
**

“That was pretty much our reaction.” 

Damian heard Drake drawl in amusement. 

Damian’s reaction was for a different reason, though. Mother had told him his older brother had been executed. That grandfather had had him killed. Did she _know_ that he was in Gotham? _Did she have a hand in this?_ What had happened?

“Stay away from Hood, Damian.” Grayson’s voice, harsher than he had ever heard, cut through the cave. “Jason is _dangerous_.” 

The boy had no response. He read. And read. 

This was _not_ his brother. 

His brother was _methodical_. Ruthless for sure. He wasn’t _wild_. Chaotic like this. He had always cared about collateral damage. Now, he was blowing things up? Setting loose Amazo units? What on earth had happened? He needed to sort out what was going on.

And he needed to do it _now_.

Under the cover of darkness, he slipped out of the manor two days later, dressed in his League leathers… carefully making his way through Gotham.

He felt hope rise in his chest as he found the holes in _Red Hood’s_ security. Holes specifically left for Damian in every safe house, every place Jason had ever stayed. He carefully took advantage, slipping seamlessly around the traps and into the apartment. 

The boy was… appalled at what he found. The place was a disaster. It was an abandoned apartment building so that wasn’t a complete shock, but his Jason - his neat and clean big brother - had left equipment, clothing, and trash strewn everywhere. If the patterns his father’s files hadn’t already shown it, this would prove that something was so very wrong. 

Damian tucked into a roll as a dagger flew over his head, popping up and diving into the cover of the kitchen cabinets. 

“Akhi!” He cried. “Akhi, stop!”

A stumble, then his name - harshly dragged from his brother’s throat - cracked in the air, “ _Damian?_ ”

“Yes.” He peaked out, looking to the shadows. 

A pair of acid green eyes stared back at him, faintly glowing in the darkness. His stomach dropped to his knees. He knew. _Grandfather_.

The hulking form of his brother dropped to the floor, weapons clattering to the beaten tile and his head bent. “Little bat. What are you _doing_ here?” Anguish and exhaustion filled his words. “You’re supposed to be _safe._ With _Mom_.”

“What do you mean?” Rising suspicion forced words from his throat, “Akhi, what stupid deal did you make with Grandfather?” He slipped from behind the counter to stand in front of the slumped figure.

“Why are you in Gotham?” Jason asked, glowing eyes peaking through choppy bangs.

“Why were we told you’d been executed?” Damian demanded.

“That’s what he told you?” Jason asked, sardonically. Damian nodded. The man snorted. “Dramatic old bastard. Might as well have been.”

“Your eyes…” Damian’s voice cracked as he motioned to his brother’s face.

Jason flinched. “Yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I, uh… yeah.” He took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Are you with Dad?”

The boy nodded. “There’s unrest in the League. Ummi thought it would be safer.” He wanted to tell his brother about the amusement of playing to the others’ assumptions, to teasing them like he and Jay played, but…

Jason nodded. “Good. I’ll… I’ll leave town. I’ll get out of Gotham. Go to ground somewhere.”

“Akhi - “

“No, Damian. You don’t need to see me like this. You don’t need to be there.” He paused, looking at the floor, “And you sure as fuck don’t need to be there when it all implodes, okay?” His voice cracked. “And if you’re here then you’re safe from Ra’s and I don’t need to be here to draw fire.”

“We can fix this!”

“You think I haven’t tried?” Jason snapped, head whipping back up. Those acid eyes piercing into Damian’s own. “You think I _didn’t_ go to all the magical specialists I could? He wrapped the damned thing around my _soul_ , Dami. It’ll get worse and worse until I just - “ he cut himself off, digging his nails into his hand and breathing deeply. “You should get back to the manor. Before they track you here.” He ground out.

“Too late.” The gravelly voice of Batman echoed in the room and the pair went rigid, albeit for different reasons. 

“Akhi…” Damian said warily, hands in front of him, begging his brother to hold on. _Just hold on_.

Jason’s eyes brightened in the dark and a growl rumbled from his throat as his hand inched towards the sword he dropped earlier.

“Damian, you were warned to stay away from Hood.” The bat stalked into the room. Damian caught the image of Nightwing slipping in through a window.

“Father, please!” The boy bit off as he darted to cut his brother off from his weapons. “ _You don’t understand!_ ”

“Damian, get out!” Jason panted, voice ragged as he held on to the last of his control. “Take them with you! _Please!_ ”

“Akhi, look at me!” The boy begged, grabbing his brother’s face. “Not at them! _Me!_ ”

“Damian, get away from Jason!” Dick’s voice cracked through the air.

Jason snarled, eyes blazing. Damian jerked his face back, forcing his glowing eyes to stare into his own more placid green. “Jason Wayne-Head. _Remember_. _Fight it!_ ” Behind him, Nightwing stopped his advancement, grabbing Batman’s arm and slowing him as well. 

“Little bat.” Voice rough with strain, Jason tried. He focused on his little brother instead of the men behind him. 

“Good.” Damian soothed. “Do you remember the story you told me when you were sick with fever a few years ago?”

“When the lion wound got infected?” Jason asked, trying to focus on the memory. 

“Yes, after you killed it.”

“You’re the little idiot that snuck out of the compound after dark.”

“And you came after me. Killed a lion to protect me, Akhi.” Damian leaned in and rested their foreheads together, keeping their eyes locked.

“I will _always_ protect you, little bat.” Jason vowed weakly.

“Right now, you can protect me by telling me the story.”

“Which one was it again?” Jason panted.

“Father and the crocodile.”

“Killer Croc, Dami.” The man corrected. “How many times do I have to tell you?”

“At least once more.” Damian said wetly. 

“D, don’t cry.”

“Jay.” He whimpered, “I just got you back and you’re going to _die_ again.” Dual gasps reminded them of their audience. Jay’s eyes flickered. “ _Ya khara!_ No, Akhi. _Look at me!_ The story! Fight the magic!”

Jason took a few ragged breaths, focusing on his little brother’s eyes. “Dad was suiting up in the cave before patrol when we got a call from Uncle Jim about some noises in the sewers.” 

Damian kept the man’s eyes on his he wove the story. Once Jason was deep in the retelling, he began to tap lightly on the floor. Thirty seconds later, Jason flinched and slumped to the ground, a dart sticking out of his shoulder. 

Damian was up in an instant. “That will only last about fifteen minutes on him at such a small dose. I hope you have something stronger to get him back to the cave.”

“I really hope you’re planning on explaining all of this.” Robin said, slipping into view as he put away his dart gun. 

The boy huffed and bitterly bit out, “My grandfather can be blamed for most of it.” 

“Ra’s is a fucking menace.” Nightwing agreed, “but what does he have to do with Jason and how the hell do you know him?”

“Please, can it wait? Drugs don’t work well on him and if we want to have any chance of fixing this before he flees we need to get him contained.”

“You _will_ explain on the way.” Batman growled as he knelt next to the unconscious man, injecting him with another dose of sedative. 


End file.
